More SEC on your TV

I was a little disappointed when I heard the SEC, my favorite conference, got into bed with ESPN on a 15 year television deal. My biggest concern was that the big game-of-the-week would no longer be on CBS every Saturday and called so ably by Verne Lundquist. Thankfully, I soon learned that as of 2009 most of these worries will prove to be unfounded. Though we'll have to deal with ESPN's crap more often, in the end the college football fan wins by getting more games. CBS will continue to broadcast the big game every Saturday. And every other conference game will now be televised in one of the ESPN's many platforms. The only loser is Raycom/Jefferson Pilot Sports who has provided great coverage of college football in the South for so long. In 2009 I guess we'll be ready for the "SEC on ESPN."

This kinda screws the other BCS conferences, doesn't it? I hope fans of the Big 10, Pac 10 and Big 12 are happy with minimal coverage they get on Versus and Fox Sports. Look for those conferences to scramble to do something to compensate.

Highlights of the SEC Television package:

CBS: Has 1st pick of games and will broadcast SEC game-of-the-week at 3:30pm. Will have one prime time game per season.

ESPN, ESPN2: Will televise minimum of 20 SEC games annually, including Saturday nights and two Thursday nights per season. They will take the No. 2 and No. 3 games.

ESPNU: Will add a package of at least 13 SEC games per season.

ESPN Regional Television: Takes the place of Raycom/Jefferson Pilot as the free tv provider for SEC football in the South at 12:30pm. Will have a minimum of 13 games per season.

That time of year

I'd be remiss if I open this journal by describing how how much I anticipate this time of year in the sporting world. Baseball is OK up to the All-Star game, but then but it hits that mid-season point where I generally lose interest. Same thing with Nascar and auto racing in general, which seem to peak in the spring months. Basketball as usual seems a distant memory. And I don't even remember what a puck is, confusing it with some sort of vulgar curse word I don't want my kids saying. And so as the long hot summer rolls on and I consider turning off the TV in favor of something that may actually prove productive....ALONG COMES FOOTBALL!

And it comes in full force with both the college and NFL seasons ready to begin with a bang. TV networks schedule meaningful primetime games earlier every year. Before you know it, it seems there's a game of some sort that can hold my attention on every night of the week. Then suddenly as if baseball realizes it has some serious competition, that sport grows more interesting as the weather gets colder. We have September playoff races and then the playoffs. And Nascar's Chase for the Championship gets underway and provides a few moments of late season drama. And as the football season continues, the unexpected never ceases to occur and to amaze. America is captivated. The holidays approach and we have presents and food and football.

My wife Dana sheds a brief tear. Suddenly order has been fully restored to my sporting world!



Good memories: Florida QB Chris Leak hoists the 2006 BCS National Championship trophy.